


Love Machine

by AGirlNamedEd



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M, Failed Relationships, I'm not about that life son, M/M, Tiencha happens but they don't stay together which isn't my usual deal but the plot demands it, anyway, bi panic, lots of sex though......, sorry folks, there's no cheating here because fuck that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2018-12-25 17:15:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12040536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGirlNamedEd/pseuds/AGirlNamedEd
Summary: Yamcha can't seem to make a relationship work. He tried with Bulma, and it didn't end well. He tries with Tien, and it goes better only because it doesn't last as long. But just as he starts to wonder if he's destined to be alone forever, the androids show up, and things get a little strange from there.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "Ed why did you write this"
> 
> "Spite(TM)"

Getting out of bed would be too much effort. Yamcha rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in his pillow. He was so tired and sore and just plain _exhausted_ , exhausted in the way that came after a huge argument. 

He and Bulma had broken up again. It was for good this time, or so they'd said. Yamcha completely expected to find himself flirting with her again in a few months, and her reciprocating, and the whole cycle starting up again. He couldn't even remember what they'd fought over this time--probably something stupid, if their history was anything to go on. It was usually something stupid. She'd accuse him of having wandering eyes, he'd call her a hypocrite, they'd get into a big blowup over it and break it off for a while until the dry spell got too much and they wound up together again. That was how things usually went.

If he'd been less tired, he might’ve resolved to himself that things would be different this time, but he wasn't up to kidding himself right now. All he wanted to do was lie around and stare at the wall for a while.

“How're you feeling?”

Yamcha rolled over and stared dully at Puar, floating just inside the doorway, looking nervous and concerned. “I'm not,” he mumbled. His mouth felt fuzzy and disgusting.

“I'll make you breakfast.” Puar floated closer to pat Yamcha’s face. “It'll be fine. Maybe a break is what you need right now.”

“I don't _want_ a break.” Yamcha rubbed his eyes. “I want this all to be done. I don't want to go crawling back again. I'm tired.”

Puar shrugged. “So don't. Find a girl who makes you as happy as Bulma used to.”

He rolled into his back and stared at the ceiling. “I don't want to just _replace_ her. And I don't want to just go out with any random girl as, like...a rebound. That's not fair.”

Puar shook their head. “Well, whatever the case, I'm going to make breakfast, and I want you to get up and eat it. Even if it's just toast.” They wrinkled their nose. “And then you're going to brush your teeth. Your breath stinks.”

Yamcha muttered under his breath, but dragged himself upright. “Fine. But I don't want to do anything today.”

“That's fine. But you still need to eat.”

~~~

“So far, so good.” Yamcha stretched his arms over his head. “I mean, I haven't got a girlfriend yet or anything, but I haven't gone back to Bulma yet, either, so that's something.”

“I'm proud of you.” Tien’s tone was teasing as he nudged Yamcha’s arm. “But, well, give it time. It's only been a week.”

Yamcha squinted suspiciously at him. “Give it time to get a girlfriend, or give it time before I'm crawling back to Bulma again?”

Tien gave one of his rare grins. “You said it, not me.”

Yamcha shoved him, laughing. “Asshole!” He laid back on his living room carpet, arms splayed, staring at the ceiling. “I'm gonna start going out more, I think. Maybe find a girl I can go on a few dates with, take her home, you know. I don't really know many girls. There's Bulma, and Chi-Chi I guess, but the only one who knows her all that well is Goku.”

“What about Launch?” Tien suggested.

Yamcha grimaced. “No offense, I know you like her, but she's scary.”

Tien flushed. “I don't _like_ her. Not the way you mean.”

“Whatever, it's not my business.” Yamcha sat up and looked intently at Tien. “Hey, do you have any dirty mags?”

Tien flushed darker. “Wh-what--why--do you think I just--just _carry_ those kinds of things around with me?”

“Just asking.” He shrugged. “I'm bored with all the ones I've got, and like hell am I asking Roshi for any of his. Creepy old bastard has some weird kinks.”

Tien looked around nervously. “I--I mean, I could trade you.”

Yamcha grinned. “You sly bastard, I knew you'd have some!”

“Shut up.” Tien dug into the small bag he brought with him whenever he stayed at Yamcha’s. “I just didn't want Chiaotzu to find them while I was gone, that's all. I wasn't planning on _reading_ them here.”

“Yeah, yeah, just hand them over.” Yamcha held his hands out eagerly. “I'm dying over here.”

“You know, if you get a girlfriend she'll want you to stop looking at girly magazines,” Tien pointed out, pulling out a couple beat-up old magazines with busty women on the front.

“ _When_ I get a girlfriend,” Yamcha corrected, snatching them from him, “I won't _need_ girly magazines.” He thumbed through one of them, letting out a long, slow whistle. “Tien, you have good taste.”

Tien fidgeted. “You said something about a trade?”

Yamcha stood and headed for his room to grab a few of the magazines under his mattress. “Never took you for such a pervert, Tien.” 

“You're the one who brought it up!” Tien snapped from the other room.

Yamcha grinned as he sauntered back in, tossing his magazines at Tien. “You're the one who brought dirty mags to a friend's place.”

Tien shook his head, shuffling through the pile. He suddenly froze, and Yamcha realised he'd made a horrible mistake. “I didn't know you were into that, Yamcha,” he said slowly.

Yamcha went to snatch it from his hands, but Tien pulled back, still staring. “I--I'm not, really! I was just curious!”

Tien turned the magazine's cover towards him and Yamcha looked away in shame. “Just curious about half-naked guys with dragon tattoos?”

“I just--” Yamcha grabbed it and yanked it from Tien. “I was curious about what it was like, that's all!”

Tien sat back, all three eyes wide. “Really? You're not--you're serious?”

“Yeah, what's it to you?” Yamcha snapped bitterly. “You got a problem?”

“No, no, no problem.” Tien shook his head frantically and held out his hands. “I just didn't know you thought about it too, that's all.”

“Well, it was never any of your business whether I yanked it to a girl or a--” Yamcha cut himself off with a horrible choking noise as he suddenly realised what Tien had said. “What do you mean ‘too?’”

Tien leaned forward excitedly. “I was never brave enough to--you know-- _do_ anything about it or anything, but I always wondered. I didn't know you thought about it too.”

Yamcha swallowed and scooted closer, eyeing Tien suspiciously. “Swear you won't tell anyone.”

Tien nodded. “I won't. I promise.”

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence. Yamcha cleared his throat. “S-so are you gay, or…?”

“I don't think so.” Tien frowned at the floor. “I like women well enough, I guess. I just feel the same about men as I do about women. It's not...I have porn, but that doesn't really _mean_ anything I don't think. I don't _care_ about the people in it. I don't think it matters the gender so much as it does who they are, for me.” He looked at Yamcha. “What about you?”

Yamcha shrugged. “Don't know. I'm just curious about how it works, that's all.”

“Me too.” Tien gripped his pant legs and looked away before locking eyes with Yamcha again. “Do you...do you want to find out?”

Yamcha balked. “Y-you mean--now? With you? T-together?”

“Yeah.” Tien leaned forward, eyes half closed. “Why not? Just...just kissing, you know? That'd be okay, right?”

Yamcha bit his lip. It wasn't like he'd never thought about it before--those times he'd jerked off with that men's magazine, he'd thought about kissing other men, just not specifically _Tien_. “You don't think it'd be weird with someone you know?”

“I think it'd be less weird than with a stranger.” Tien shuffled forward again, stopping just a few inches from Yamcha’s face. “If you don’t want to we don’t have to, but I want to.”

Yamcha squeezed his eyes shut and took a breath. “Okay,” he said, “just--just do it.”

Lips gently landed on his and began clumsily kissing him. Yamcha tensed, but it wasn’t as weird or different as he’d thought it might be. It wasn’t too different from kissing a woman. A woman with really chapped lips. He relaxed a little and pressed forward, easily taking control of the kiss and wrapping his arms around Tien’s neck. _That_ was strange--Tien’s body was so much bigger than anyone else he’d embraced like this. But it wasn’t too bad. In fact it was pretty damn good.

Tien pulled away, breathing heavily, eyes lidded and hazy as he stared at Yamcha. “You’re really good,” he panted.

Yamcha winked, trying not to show that he was similarly affected. “Damn right I am.” He glanced down at Tien’s lips, then to where his arms were still looped around Tien’s neck. “Do you--do you want to try that again?”

“Yeah,” Tien breathed, and he was kissing Yamcha again, still awkwardly but with more force and confidence behind it this time. Yamcha gently tugged Tien’s bottom lip between his teeth, a shiver running through him when Tien moaned. He squeezed Tien tighter and worked his tongue into his mouth. It had been a while since he made out with someone--even before he and Bulma broke up, they’d been in a bit of a dry spell for a few weeks. It was still just as good as always, even if Tien’s inexperience showed through a lot

He kept leaning and shuffling forward, and it took him a moment to realise he was suddenly kneeling between Tien’s legs, and Tien’s legs were wrapped around his hips. He broke off the kiss with a gasp for air, eyes snapping open. He hadn’t meant for things to go this far. They were just supposed to try kissing, not totally making out.

But then Tien asked “Can I touch you?” and the last thing Yamcha wanted to do was say no. He nodded and started kissing the side of Tien’s neck as large, warm hands slid under his shirt and made their way up his sides. Yamcha bit down to stifle a groan when they reached his chest, drawing a strangled half-noise from Tien. His fingers fumbled with the hem of Tien’s tank top, sliding up over his abs to grab at his pecs even as Tien moaned for him and groped at his chest, too. He was starting to overheat and he pushed Tien away to struggle out of his shirt. Tien seemed to get the same idea, tugging his shirt over his head and chucking it to the side before running his hands down Yamcha’s back.

Yamcha leaned down and traced the scar on Tien’s chest with his mouth. His lips and tongue moved across it, kissing and licking and worshipping it as Tien squirmed above him. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not, so he abandoned it and went back to squeezing his chest. Pinching one of Tien’s nipples brought a startled gasp, but not much else, so Yamcha returned his attention to the rest of his body.

One of Tien’s hands had dug itself into Yamcha’s hair, still short but slowly getting longer again. “Pull it,” Yamcha murmured, his face buried between Tien’s pecs. Tien did, and Yamcha groaned, letting his head be pulled back. He’d discovered his love of hair-pulling by accident about a year ago, and he’d never looked back since. Tien tugged his hair again, biting down on the junction where Yamcha’s neck met his shoulder at the same time, and Yamcha gave a strangled sound.

“Yamcha,” Tien gasped, and Yamcha clutched at Tien like a lifeline. “Yamcha, I want to touch you. _Really_ touch you.” He sat up and looked pleadingly at him. “Can I?”

Yamcha was too far gone to argue. He just nodded and scooted backwards, pulling himself to his feet. “I have lube in the bedroom,” he said.

Tien shook his head, grabbing Yamcha’s hips and rising awkwardly to his knees. “I don’t need it.”

“Yes, you do--” Yamcha stopped with a soft cry as Tien mouthed at him through his pants. He hadn’t even realised he’d gotten hard before, but it was impossible to ignore now. Some part of him wanted to be embarrassed about getting his dick sucked by a guy--by _Tien_ of all people--but every other fibre of his being wanted release _now_. “Oh, gods, Tien, get on with it, please,” he managed, putting his hand on the back of Tien’s head. He was so hard it was starting to hurt.

Tien fumbled with Yamcha’s pants and managed to pull his dick out, sitting back to stare at it for a moment. A wave of self-consciousness hit Yamcha as he stared. “Is...something wrong?” he asked.

“No,” Tien said, still staring. “Just...psyching myself up for it.”

Yamcha took himself in hand and gave himself a slow stroke, smearing precome around his head with his thumb. “You don't have to if you've changed your mind,” he said, voice low and rumbling. “We can stop now. I'll go into my room and take care of myself, you can take care of yourself out here. And then we'll put all this behind us and pretend it never happened.”

“Or,” Tien countered, shuffling forward, “I suck you off right here.” He swatted Yamcha’s hand away and took half his dick into his mouth in one go.

He couldn't fit all of Yamcha into his mouth, but his hand came up to fondle what didn't fit. His head bobbed back and forth as he sucked, and Yamcha’s eyes were glued to him. If he closed his eyes, it wasn't really any different from when Bulma did it, but he opened them up again. He wanted to watch. He wanted to see Tien, to know it was him bringing him to completion. Tien’s name ripped out of his throat in a groan, and Tien gave a garbled noise in response. Yamcha’s hips jerked forward, Tien’s tongue did something, and Yamcha came in his best friend's mouth with a shout.

Tien pulled off him, coughing and gagging, and the rest of Yamcha’s orgasm hit him in the face. He grabbed one of their discarded shirts and wiped his face with it as Yamcha dropped to his knees, gasping for air. “Fuck,” he whispered.

“It was good, then?” Tien’s voice was a little hoarse, but he gave Yamcha a hopeful grin. “I've always wondered what it was like to do that.”

“Me too,” Yamcha admitted. He reached for Tien’s pants, palming him through them. “My turn?”

Tien gulped and nodded, and Yamcha pulled his pants down before settling between his legs. He bit his lip at his first glimpse of Tien’s cock--shorter than his, but thicker. He was really doing this. He was going to suck a dick.

“We can stop if you daaaaaugh,” Tien moaned as Yamcha took his head into his mouth and ran his tongue around it. He dug his tongue into Tien’s slit, tasting the salty precome there, and relished Tien’s moans. He managed to fit almost all of it in his mouth without gagging, something he wasn't sure if he should be proud of or not. One of Tien’s hands landed in his hair and he groaned as it tugged at him. If he hadn't just come, he might’ve started to get hard again.

Yamcha took a deep breath, relaxed his throat, and took Tien all the way in. Tien cried out above him, begging for release, nearly sobbing Yamcha’s name as he pulled hard on his hair and came in his mouth.

Yamcha gagged and sat up, sputtering and wiping his face on the back of his hand. He helped Tien through the aftershocks of his orgasm with his hand, staring at how loose and relaxed he'd become. He'd never seen Tien like this, not in all the time they'd known each other. Yamcha swallowed. It was sort of hot.

He wiped them both up with Tien’s already soiled shirt and straddled Tien’s lap, pulling him into an embrace. Tien’s arms wrapped around him, and they stayed that way for a while.

What the hell did they do now?

Yamcha wracked his brain, trying to figure something out. They hadn't thought this far. God, he'd just sucked his best friend's dick. And gotten his dick sucked in return. And now they were cuddling on his living room floor.

Had they made made a huge mess of everything? Was this going to wreck their friendship forever? Yamcha’s chest ached. He wished they'd never done it. He wanted to throw up.

Tien was the first to speak. “So now what?” he asked, giving voice to Yamcha’s own questions. “Do we just...pretend this never happened?”

Yamcha fidgeted and sat back, tucking himself into his pants as an excuse to not look at Tien. “I don't know. Maybe.” He looked up to see Tien pulling his pants on. “Do you regret it?”

“No,” Tien said immediately. “I wanted it, and I started it, and I'm...I'm glad we went as far as we did.” He met Yamcha’s eyes, his expression firm. “But we don't have to do it again. Or talk about it again. In fact we probably shouldn't.”

Yamcha nodded, a numbness in his gut. “Yeah. I think so too.”

Tien stood. “I'm gonna clean myself up properly, if that's okay.” He gave Yamcha a weak smile. “And then that ball game is on TV in a bit, right?”

Yamcha took a breath. This would pass, this weird, awkward stage. It would all go back to normal and they'd be regular friends again. It would take some time, but it would work out.

He gave Tien a lopsided grin. “Yeah. I'll get snacks.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything's changed for Yamcha now that he and Tien have had sex. He's not totally sure _how_ things have changed, but they have, and he doesn't know if he likes it. Maybe they should talk about it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *clears throat* Yamcha and Tien are good and wonderful boys

Yamcha lay in bed, staring at the wall through the darkness. Tien was asleep on the couch in the other room, and he couldn't stop thinking about that afternoon. They'd watched the game together, on opposite ends of the couch, a huge, awkward weight between them that they hadn't had since just after they'd met. Yamcha had debated moving closer a few times, but ultimately didn't. 

After dinner, they'd both retired fairly quickly with the excuse that they'd be getting up early to meet up with Krillin in the morning. But Yamcha couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about what they'd done. It was just an experiment, right? Just because he'd gotten a blow job from a guy and then given one in return didn't mean he was gay. And the fact that he hadn't really minded it didn't mean anything, either. Tien’s moans replaying themselves over and over in his ears didn't matter at all. He'd bought the magazine as an experiment, and that whole... _thing_ with Tien had just been the next step in the experiment. That was all.

So what had he actually _learned_ from his experiment? That he was okay with sucking a dick? Okay, great, he was hoping for something more conclusive than that. That he could get off with a guy, or at least the image of one? Fine, but he could get off with a woman too, or a picture of one. Getting off wasn't really that hard. The big question he had after all this now was whether he'd do it again or not. He wasn't completely sure. He almost wished he'd just done it with some random guy instead, so he wouldn't have his friendship with Tien thrown into the mix. Because he wasn't sure if he'd have sex with any other guy, but if Tien asked for another round…

Well, he wasn't sure he'd say no, was all.

His door creaked open and he rolled over to face it. He could only just make out Tien’s shape in the darkness. “Are you awake?” he whispered.

Yamcha sat up to face him properly. “Yeah.”

“Me too.” Tien moved closer to the bed and Yamcha shuffled over so he could sit down. “I can't sleep. I keep thinking about you.”

Yamcha swallowed. “Yeah?” he said, fighting to keep his voice steady.

Tien knelt on the bed, leaning towards Yamcha. “I know I said we should put it behind us, but...I can't.“ He tucked some loose hairs behind Yamcha’s ear, letting his hand linger on his face. “I looked through that magazine you loaned me.”

Yamcha didn't have to ask which one. He knew exactly what Tien was talking about.

“Those men are...nice.” His grin nearly glowed in the darkness. “I didn't realise that was your type.” Yamcha sputtered, but Tien just laughed. “I can't blame you. Some of them were so pretty. But I wasn't interested in any of them.” He leaned in. “I'd rather be with you.”

“Wait, hold up.” Yamcha slapped a hand over Tien’s mouth and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think. “You want to do it again?” He felt Tien nod under his hand. “You want--what, you want a relationship? Or just casual sex?”

Tien moved Yamcha’s hand away so he could speak. “Sex isn't usually a casual thing for me.”

“Didn't stop you this afternoon.”

“That--” Even in the darkness, Yamcha could tell Tien was blushing. “That was an anomaly. I don't usually do that kind of thing with someone I don't like that way.” He looked pointedly at Yamcha.

“So--wait--” Yamcha’s eyes widened. “You like me?”

“I think so?” Tien looked away. “I'm not sure. This is new for me. But if you want to go out--like a couple, for real--and have sex and call each other boyfriends and all that--I'd do it.”

Yamcha’s mind reeled. Boyfriends with Tien? Would that be okay? How would that work? Could they really do that? Did Yamcha _want_ to?

He startled himself with the realisation that yes, he _did_ want to give it a shot with Tien. Even if it ended badly, it couldn't go any worse than his relationship with Bulma, right?

He took a breath and met Tien’s eyes. “So are you going to just sit there all night, or are you going to kiss me?”

Tien’s face lit up and he lunged to press their mouths together. Yamcha let himself be pushed back into the bed, holding Tien close as they explored each other. Everything was more of a blur this time, as opposed to how hyperaware of things he’d been that afternoon. Clothes mysteriously disappeared. Yamcha shoved Tien down and climbed on top, grinding his hips into Tien’s. Hands roamed everywhere, gentle but firm and so hot. Somewhere along the way, Yamcha had grabbed the lube from his nightstand and now they rolled together, their cocks rubbing against each other, made slick and easy from the lube. Tien moaned unabashedly beneath him, clinging to his neck as Yamcha cried Tien’s name and gripped both their cocks in his hands, creating beautiful, wonderful friction, and he never wanted to stop, he was high on pleasure and he didn’t want to come down. He tried to hold on as long as he could, but Tien grabbed at his hair again and he lost it, crashing down to the other side with Tien’s name on his lips, Tien not far behind him. Yamcha collapsed onto the bed next to Tien, and Tien wrapped himself around Yamcha immediately. Sighing, Yamcha clung to Tien and snuggled into him. The guilt and weirdness from earlier wasn’t there anymore, and Yamcha was glad.

Maybe this was what he needed after all.

~~~

“I have to tell Puar. I can’t keep secrets from them.”

Tien nodded. “As long as they don’t tell anyone, that’s fine. I can’t not tell Chiaotzu, either.”

“Of course.” Yamcha scratched his jaw. “I don’t think there’s anyone else I need to tell about us.”

“You’re okay with keeping our relationship a secret?” Tien asked.

Yamcha smiled. “It’s not forever, right? Just for a while. And I still get to go out with you and stuff. It’ll be fine.”

Tien looked away. “It’s just I don’t want to have to--come out, or whatever, you know? Not now, not until I know what I’m coming out _as_ , exactly.”

“It’s okay, I get it.” Yamcha put a hand on Tien’s shoulder, brightening when Tien didn’t flinch back from him. When they’d first woken up, Tien had practically fallen out of bed. He’d apologised profusely for it, claiming to be awkward about that sort of thing. But he seemed to be getting better. That was good. Yamcha wasn’t sure he could do a relationship where he wasn’t able to at least put his arm around his partner--his _boyfriend_.

That was still weird, even just in Yamcha’s head.

“We still have to go meet Krillin,” he reminded Tien. “You want to eat before then, or what?”

“That’s probably a good idea.” Tien looked around. “I thought you said you needed groceries, though.”

“There’s a place down the road that makes really good protein shakes,” Yamcha suggested.

Tien smiled. “A date?”

Yamcha flushed. “Yeah. Breakfast smoothie date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's shorter, hopefully the next chapter's longer to make up for it


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamcha has...doubts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey what's up guys I'm here to rip your heart out

Yamcha stepped off the Taitans’ bus, duffel bag over his shoulder. Honestly, he could get to the team’s away games faster if he flew by himself, but he didn’t want to look suspicious, and it was a good way to build better camaraderie with his teammates. And hey, if nothing else, it was a good distraction from everything else in his life.

It had been a while since he’d heard from Bulma. Sometimes he wondered if she’d moved on from him the same way he’d moved on from her, but he didn’t want to be the one to check. He was always the one going back to her. Let her be the one to come to him for once.

More than that, though, it had been some time since he’d talked to Tien. Tien was hard to reach when Yamcha was away, since he always went off training with Chiaotzu in the middle of nowhere. This was the third away game in a row for Yamcha, so they hadn’t seen each other or even talked in a week. Yamcha wondered if that made him a bad boyfriend or not, since Bulma always got annoyed if he didn’t talk to her for more than a couple days. But Tien and Bulma were different people, with different approaches to relationships. It wasn’t fair to assume they’d act the same way.

A hand clapped him on the shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts. It was the team’s shortstop, Maeda. “You zoning out on us, Yamcha?” he asked, grinning. Maeda was attractive and friendly, and the person Yamcha was closest to on the Taitans. “Come on, we gotta get checked in, then a bunch of us are going for dinner. You’re welcome to join if you want.”

Yamcha adjusted his grip on his bag and smiled back. “I will, thanks.”

“Meet us in the lobby at five!” Maeda called over his shoulder, jogging off towards Du, the catcher, probably to tell him the same thing. Yamcha wandered into the hotel and got in line for the reception desk. He usually stayed in and ordered room service, but a change of scene would be good. Especially since being alone lately brought back the thoughts he was avoiding.

It wasn’t so much that he hadn’t talked to Tien in a while and he thought Tien would be upset with him about it. That wasn’t too big of a deal. It just felt like Tien was avoiding him lately. It had been around six months since they'd started dating, and no one knew besides Puar and Chiaotzu. They had barely gone on any actual dates because of their secrecy, mostly staying in and watching movies at Yamcha’s or sparring in the wilderness. And having sex. Lots of it. Yamcha wasn't sure how he felt about it. On the one hand, it was great sex. On the other, it felt like that was all they did sometimes.

Yamcha liked Tien. He liked him a lot. But he didn’t like sneaking around, or that their relationship seemed mostly built on sex. Most of all, though, he hated that he still didn’t know how he felt. Going out with Tien was supposed to help him figure out whether he really liked men or not, and if so how much. It hadn’t helped much, if at all. He liked Tien, sure, but maybe he was an anomaly. Maybe he didn’t actually like men, just Tien. Or maybe he didn’t like Tien the way he should for a relationship like theirs. There were just too many questions and variables and Yamcha’s little experiment was one wrong word away from blowing up in his face.

He trudged to his room and hung up his uniform, making himself at home. Only a couple hours until he was supposed to meet up with the team. He might as well rest and freshen up.

~~~

Dinner was great. Maeda had convinced everyone to try a local restaurant known for their chicken stir fry. Apparently, Maeda insisted on chicken stir fry before a big game, claiming it was his “good luck food.” Yamcha didn’t really get it, but whatever worked.

When they got back to the hotel, Maeda insisted that Yamcha and Du and a few others come back to his room to drink and make fun of cable television. Yamcha found himself sitting on the end of the bed, three beers to his name, flushed and warm and laughing at terrible late-night sitcoms with friends, his relationship problems far from his mind.

Slowly, one by one, the others left, and then it was just Yamcha and Maeda. Yamcha lounged on the bed, scratching absently at his stomach while Maeda flipped through the channels, cursing out whatever was on each of them. Finally, he turned off the TV and looked over at Yamcha. “You look comfortable.”

Yamcha grinned at him. “Yeah, but I should probably get back to my room. Big game tomorrow. Gotta get rested.”

“Well, I mean.” Maeda brushed a hand through his hair and laughed nervously. “You could stay.”

Blinking, Yamcha propped himself up. “What? No, I’ve got my own room. It’s not that far, just down the hall. I can get there on my own.”

“Ah, that’s not what--never mind.” Maeda waved him off. “Don’t worry about it.”

Realisation hit Yamcha like a truck. He sat up straight. “Maeda, were you--did you want to--with me?”

“Could’ve sworn you were into guys,” Maeda muttered under his breath, rubbing his eyes. “Yeah, never mind, don’t worry about it. Go to bed, I won’t bring it up again.”

“No, Maeda, hold on.” Yamcha held out his hands. “It’s not that--I just--I’ve got a--I’ve got someone right now. I can’t cheat on him--them.”

Maeda’s eyes widened. “What?”

Well, now Yamcha was well and truly in it. He sighed and wrung his hands. “Promise you won’t tell anyone.”

“No, I swear.” Maeda leaned forward. “You’re serious? You’re into guys? You’ve, what, you’ve got a boyfriend?”

Yamcha stared at Maeda. This was it. This was his chance for some real answers. Maeda was the first guy he'd ever met who was into other guys, or at least open about it. He took a steadying breath and nodded. “Yeah, we've been going out for six months now.”

Maeda stared. “Holy shit. I always took you for the playboy type.”

Yamcha blushed. “No! Look, Maeda, I just--I don't know. I'm so confused about all this stuff. I like girls, but I think I like guys too, or maybe just Tien, or--I don't know what to think anymore.”

Maeda nodded. “Sounds like you might be bisexual, then.” Yamcha blinked. “You know, likes both.” Maeda shrugged. “It's not that uncommon.”

“I know what it is,” Yamcha mumbled, embarrassed. “I just...never applied it to me before.”

“Mm. Maybe you should.”

“Yeah.” Yamcha stared down at his hands, clutching the hem of his shirt. “I should go, shouldn’t I?”

“Yeah, you should.” Maeda stretched. “If I’m not getting laid tonight, I want sleep instead. Go on, get.” He shooed Yamcha off the bed. “Hey, Yamcha?” he called as Yamcha reached the door. Yamcha turned to face him again and Maeda winked. “If you and your guy ever break up, my offer still stands.” Yamcha sputtered and Maeda laughed. “And hey, if you have any questions about...well, anything, you can ask me. I promise I’ll only make fun of you a little.”

Yamcha shook his head. “Good night, Maeda.”

“Night,” Maeda called after him as the door swung shut behind him.

~~~

Yamcha tossed and turned and stared at the wall. He wanted to see Tien. He wanted to talk to him, to figure out what they really were to each other and where their relationship was going. He wished he had a better idea about things. Everything was too confusing and he hated it.

It shouldn’t have been so complicated. He had a damn good life--a star baseball player less than a year after joining up, a nice apartment, good friends who he could rely on through anything, a hot boyfriend. That was the dream, right?

Well, no, it was a dream. Someone else’s. Yamcha had never been all that interested in baseball, mostly only signing up for a laugh and a paycheck. His apartment was nice enough, but in an inconvenient part of town, and there was a lot of pressure from the Taitan’s manager to move closer to their home stadium despite Yamcha never once being late for a practice or game. His friends...well, there was nothing really wrong there. Yamcha’s friends were great people, and he knew they’d support him no matter what.

But really, he knew those were all minor problems. His real issue was with Tien.

It wasn’t that he had an _issue_ , exactly. Tien was a great guy and an attentive boyfriend. He tried to make up for keeping their relationship secret by showering Yamcha with affection when they were together, which Yamcha appreciated all the more knowing open affection made Tien uncomfortable. It was more that he still didn't know how he really felt about him, and he didn't know how Tien really felt about him. He liked him. He liked being with him, and having sex. And the more time they spent together, the more sex they had, the more he felt like he could really grow to love Tien. But there was always that scared voice in the back of his mind, wondering if he was fooling himself into thinking that just because of the sex.

Except that when Maeda had propositioned him, he hadn't even considered accepting him. Part of that was just because Yamcha wasn't a cheater. But Maeda was a good-looking guy, and if he hadn't been dating Tien he wondered if he would've said yes. The idea brought blood rushing to his face. Him and Maeda? It wouldn't be so weird, really, if he thought about it. Men, women--it didn't matter. If they were attractive, he could be attracted to them.

Well, hell. He probably _was_ bisexual, like Maeda said. The thought made him feel a little better. At least he had a word to explain how he felt now. He could talk to Tien about it when he got back.

A smile spread across his face. A great career, friends he trusted, a boyfriend he could grow to love. A label. Maybe he _was_ living the dream after all.

~~~

Yamcha whistled as he sauntered down the hall to his apartment. The Taitans had won their game the night before, and Maeda had kept his promise and not told anyone about Yamcha’s secret. He'd ribbed Yamcha a little, thrown him a wink and a grin towards the dugout whenever he was at bat, but that was all. Yamcha was grateful. Now that he had a word for how he felt, he wouldn’t mind coming out, but he still wanted it to be on his terms. And he wanted Tien to be the first to know.

All in all, things had worked out pretty well for him. He unlocked his apartment door and swung it open with a flourish. “Hey, Puar, I’m--” He cut his greeting off with a start at the sight of Tien standing in the middle of his living room. “Oh, hi!” Yamcha grinned at him. “Long time no see!”

Tien smiled awkwardly at him, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Puar let me up. They said you’d be home today.”

Yamcha tossed his duffel bag on the floor and casually kicked the door shut. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.” He grinned at Tien and held his arms out. “Hug?”

Cautiously, Tien stepped into his arms and gingerly wrapped his arms around Yamcha’s shoulders. Yamcha frowned when he tried to pull away almost immediately and clung tighter. “Tien?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” came the immediate reply. The arms around Yamcha’s shoulders squeezed tighter. “I mean--I don’t know.”

This time Yamcha was the one to pull away. “Are you okay? What happened?” Thoughts flashed through his head faster than he could really process them--he was hurt, Piccolo Jr. had come back, something had happened to Goku or Bulma or Chiaotzu--and he gripped Tien’s shoulders tight. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s fine,” Tien tried to reassure him. Hands gripped Yamcha’s wrists and moved them away from Tien’s shoulders. “I just...there’s really no good way to say this.” He took a breath and met Yamcha’s eyes with a determined stare. “We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a terrible person and I'm not sorry in the slightest


End file.
